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In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, when did Atticus tell his children not to judge anyone until they got to know them?

In Chapter 23, Atticus discusses the trial with Jem and Scout and explains to his children that there was a member of the jury who was a relative of the Cunninghams that argued for an outright acquittal. Jem is shocked and comments,



"Golly Moses...One minute they're tryin' to kill him and the next they're tryin' to turn him loose...I'll never understand those folks as long as I live" (Lee 136).



Atticus then tells his children that they just had to know them. He goes on to explain that the Cunninghams hadn't taken anything from or off of anybody since they immigrated to America. The other thing about the Cunninghams was that once you earned their respect, "they were for you tooth and nail." Atticus tells Jem and Scout that after their encounter with the Old Sarum bunch that night outside of the jailhouse, they earned the Cunningham's respect.


Atticus is essentially teaching his children not to judge individuals until they get to know them by explaining that the Cunninghams were good people. Despite Jem and Scout's negative impressions of the Cunninghams from their interactions at the jailhouse, Atticus tells them that the Cunningham family has integrity and loyalty.

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